The present invention relates to the field of a communication apparatus and navigation apparatus for a vehicle suitable for installation in a movable body such as an automobile.
Conventionally, a navigation apparatus for guiding a driver through a route to his/her destination has been widely used in automobiles, which are the typical movable bodies.
In recent years, navigation apparatuses having communication capability have been proposed. Examples of such navigation apparatuses having communication capability include, for example, a navigation apparatus proposed in Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 10-105897 and the corresponding U.S. patent application No. U.S. Pat. No. 6,002,345, that displays, based on geographical information stored on a storage medium such as a CD and DVD contained in the automobile, a map containing a symbol image corresponding to position information and the content of a message received when it receives the position information representing the current position of another vehicle and the message information during displaying map image on its display.
The prior-art navigation apparatus having communication capability can display the map image containing the symbol image of the other vehicle by using the position information received from the other vehicle because the own vehicle contains a large amount of (comprehensive) geographical information for guiding or other processing.
Therefore, if a typical personal computer without geographical information obtained position information indicating the current position of such a movable body from the movable body, the personal computer would not be able to display operator-identifiable current position information together with the map image of its surrounding area.
In particular, because geographical information contained in a typical navigation apparatus is based on information representing coordinates in a given coordinate system, an external apparatus without geographical information conforming the same specifications cannot display map image perceivable to an operator on its display even if it obtains the coordinate information.
Today, image information on a photograph shot by a digital camera can be easily sent and received and a photo image indicating remote conditions can be easily obtained by a typical personal computer. However, because the personal computer does not include the capability of displaying a map image based on geographical information as described above, the position of the sender of the photograph information cannot be visually identified.
In addition, the above-described prior-art navigation apparatus having communication capability can exchange position and message information with only a navigation apparatus having the same communication capability and cannot send a traveled path or an image shot in the past.
Therefore, it is difficult for a person traveling by a vehicle with the above-described navigation apparatus on a trip to communicate circumstances during the travel to another person who does not have a navigation apparatus with the same capability.
The present invention has been propose to solve the conventional problem, and has a first object to provide a communication apparatus for sending photograph information, image information indicating a current position of the apparatus and its surrounding area to an external communication apparatus, current position communication method, computer program product, and computer-readable storage medium.
In addition to the first object, it is a second object of the present invention to provide a navigation apparatus for a vehicle for sending a path traveled by the own vehicle or photographic information concerning the own vehicle and its information communication method, computer program product, and computer-readable storage medium.
To achieve the above-mentioned first object, the present invention provides a communication apparatus installed in a movable body, for example, characterized-by the following configuration.
That is, a communication apparatus (1) installed in a movable body, for example, for communicating with an external communication apparatus by radio communication is characterized by comprising: interface means (11, 12) allowing for inputting photograph information; acquisition means (11) for acquiring geographical information (12) representing area around a current position based on position information representing the current position; image processing means (11) for generating, based on position information representing the current position and geographical information representing the area acquired by said acquisition means, map image information representing the map image of the area containing a symbol image allowing the current position to be identified and combining the map image information and the photograph information input through said interface means into a single piece of image information; and communication means (3) for sending the image information combined by the image processing means to a predetermined external communication apparatus (9).
The communication apparatus described above allows an information processing apparatus that is connected to an external communication apparatus and does not have geographical information to display a photograph image and a map image representing the current position of the movable body and the area around the position on a display according to image information received from the communication apparatus installed in the movable body, for example.
In a preferred embodiment, the position information representing the current position and the geographical information representing the area are preferably coordinate information representing coordinates in a predetermined coordinate system, the coordinate information is preferably pre-associated with attribute information about a position corresponding to the coordinate information on a position-by-position basis, and the image processing means preferably converts the attribute information pre-associated with the coordinate information representing the current position and the area into color information pre-set for each type of the attribute information to generate the map image information.
This allows a map image substantially the same as a map image that can be displayed on the own vehicle to be displayed on the image processing apparatus that is connected to the external communication apparatus and does not have geographical information.
In addition, it is preferable that the image processing means generates a simplified map image of the area containing the symbol image without converting an attribute represented by predetermined attribute information of the attribute information into the color information recognizable to an operator when generating the map image information.
This can reduce the amount of information to be transmitted.
Furthermore, preferably the acquisition means acquires position information representing the location of the predetermined external communication apparatus and, based on the position information and the position information representing the current position, acquires geographical information representing an area including the current position and the location of the predetermined external communication apparatus; and the image processing means generates, based on the position information representing the current position and the location and the geographical information representing the area, map image information representing the map image of the area including a symbol image allowing the current position and the location to be identified and combines the map image information and the input photograph information into a single piece of image information.
This allows the relation between the current position of the own vehicle and the information processing apparatus attached to the external communication apparatus to be displayed on the map image, improving convenience.
Preferably, route guidance means (11, 13) is provided for calculating a guidance route to a desired destination and performing route guidance to the destination, and the image processing means generates the map image information in a manner that a partial image corresponding to the guidance route can be identified in the map image of the area including the symbol image if the location of the predetermined external communication apparatus is set as the destination for said route guidance means.
This allows a path traveled by the movable body on which the apparatus is installed to be displayed identifiably on the information processing apparatus attached to the external communication apparatus, improving convenience.
Furthermore, it is preferable that the image processing means further combines image information about a character pattern representing an estimated time of arrival at the destination calculated by the route guidance means or the traveling speed of the vehicle thereof with the map image information.
This allows the estimated arrival time of the movable body on which the apparatus is installed to be displayed identifiably on the information processing apparatus attached to the external communication apparatus, improving convenience.
In a preferred embodiment, the image processing means comprises selection means for selecting a first mode for sending the position information representing the current position or a second mode for sending the image information, depending on the result of sending or receiving predetermined communication information to or from the external communication apparatus.
This can minimize the amount of information sent from the apparatus.
It is preferable that the route guidance means displays the position of a parking lot on the display or performing route guidance to the parking lot based on position information representing the location of the parking lot when the communication means receives the position information in response to a predetermined operation.
Thus, when the apparatus is mounted on a vehicle such as an automobile, time and effort for searching for a parking lot where the vehicle can be parked can be saved by, for example, obtaining from an information processing apparatus connected an external communication apparatus the position information about the parking lot near the location of the information processing apparatus, thereby improving convenience.
To achieve the second object in addition to the first object described above, a navigation apparatus for a vehicle, as a communication apparatus installed in a vehicle which is a typical movable body, according to the present invention is characterized by the following configuration.
That is, a navigation apparatus for a vehicle (1) comprising current position detection means (13) for detecting the current position of the navigation apparatus for a vehicle (1) itself and communication control means (3, 11) for sending position information representing the detected current position to an external communication apparatus is characterized in that: the navigation apparatus for a vehicle (1) comprises interface means (11, 21) allowing for inputting photograph information; the current position detection means (13) comprises storage means (14) for storing the current position information representing the detected current position at a plurality of positions in chronological order to hold a past traveled path; and the communication control means sends the position information representing the current position to a predetermined external communication apparatus (9) along with the position information about the plurality of positions read from the storage means in chronological order or photograph information input through the interface means.
This allows the path traveled by the own vehicle or its photograph information to be sent to the external communication apparatus to inform the operator of the external communication apparatus as to the progress of the own vehicle visually and efficiently.
In a preferred embodiment, the communication control means sends information about shooting circumstance (shooting site, time, direction, and other information) associated with the photograph information. This allows more detailed information to be provided.
Preferably, the navigation apparatus for a vehicle further comprises route guidance means (11) for calculating a guidance route to a desired destination from the current position detected by the current position detection means and performing route guidance to the destination, the navigation apparatus for a vehicle being characterized in that the communication control means sends guidance route information representing the guidance route.
Thus, the route the own vehicle is traveling can be indicated to the operator of the external communication apparatus and the operator can easily guide the driver of the vehicle.
The above-described first object can also be achieved by a current position communication method, a program code providing instructions for implementing the operation of the communication apparatus, and a computer-readable storage medium on which the program code is stored.
The above-described second object can also be achieved by an information communication method for the navigation apparatus for a vehicle comprising the above-described configurations, a program code providing instructions for implementing the operation of the navigation apparatus for a vehicle, and a computer-readable storage medium on which the program code is stored.
Other features and advantages of the present invention will be apparent from the following description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, in which like reference characters designate the same or similar parts throughout the figures thereof.